I wasn't happy with the first person view that I used for Malibu's Generation. I want this story to be lighter that that, and I have a hard time doing that in first person. I thought about going back to using the conversation style from the first two generations, but I found it too limiting, which is why I switched. I really like the idea of 'the disembodied voice' as a character, so I'm doing something different with generation four - Third person view for story telling, but incorporating 'the voice' into the story to add a bit of humor. Let me know if you like it.
"Blue Jay...psst. I know you can hear me. Talk to me.."
Blue Jay studiously ignored the mysterious voice that had suddenly appeared inside his head, and continued working on his homework. He wasn't crazy, he couldn't be. He didn't feel crazy. Not like his little sister Wren; she was always talking to herself, and not just that imaginary friend of hers, either.
"I can make all your wishes come true. Just tell me what you want..."
"Blue Jay, what's got into you lately? Answer me already! Are yo done with your homework?" Another voice interrupted the voice in his head. This one he knew was real.
"Uh.. huh? Oh, sorry Mom, I was just daydreaming. Yeah, I'm done."
Blue Jay went off to bed. Hopefully the voice would be gone in the morning.
Jay had no such luck, however. It was field trip day, and the voice continued to harass him the the whole way to the Mausoleum. Finally he couldn't stand it any longer.
"Okay, okay. I want to beat the record at the driving range. And have a great party. And make out in a hot tub."
"What?... um.. are you all right, Jay? Did you just say you want to make out with me in a hot tub? I didn't know you swung that way."
His seatmate Adam was staring at him with a little smirk on his face. Oh geez, he hadn't realized he'd said that out loud.
"Oh, sorry... I meant I want to make out with a girl. I just don't know who."
"Aww.. too bad. Your loss," Adam grinned and waggled his eyebrows at him.
He hoped the voice would leave him alone now, but it only got worse.
"Now we're getting somewhere. I can help you with the whole make out in the hot tub thing. We just need to decide on a girl. How about Olga behind you there? She's your best friend."
He made sure to answer only in his mind this time: "Are you frickin' kidding me? Don't make me gag. She's... just too weird. And besides, she's a vampire. Maybe you like cold-blooded women, but they're not for me."
The driving range didn't work out any better than the dating advice, at first.
"Now look what you made me do.. I broke my best driver," Jay hissed at the voice in his head.
"No worries, I'll just conjure you another one."
And like magic, another identical driver appeared in his hands. Booyah! Range record right there. At least that is what the voice told him. He didn't see how anyone would know, since the ball landed in the middle of the lake, but he'd take the credit, anyway.
"Pssst, Jay, now that you beat the range record, I think I've found a girl you're gonna like. You need to call and ask her out..."
"Uh oh! I think you should go inside to do it though. Looks like a zombie is attacking your Aunt Rain. You could be next if you're not careful. Rain managed to escape, and it's heading your way!"
At last Jay was getting some good advice from the disembodied voice - if only he would stop and listen. But no, he had to stop right outside the door to call Valerie and ask her out. Making out in the hot tub was more important than even zombies, it seemed.
"Jay, Jay.. you idiot, there's a zombie attacking you. Go inside already, will you?"
But Jay was too absorbed in his phone call to notice.
Just before disaster struck, Jay suddenly hung up the phone and dashed inside. Did he listen to the voice in his head? Or was it just the spoiled waffles he had eaten for dinner? Whatever the reason, he managed to avoid the zombie attack. The date was off, though. Valerie had turned him down.
"There's more than one way to skin a cat, Jay my boy. If she won't come to you, you just need to get in that awful little Prius of yours and drive over to her house. Well? Whadaya think? Was I right or was I right?"
"Uh.. she's cute.. and nice. I can't believe it, but you did good. Now to get to know her well enough to make out with her..."
Despite the screaming baby on the floor behind them, Jay managed to carry on an semi-coherent conversation with Valerie. Sometime during the evening, he had an epiphany.
"Voice! She's the one I want to have my first kiss with. Can you make it happen?"
"Hehe. I knew you'd eventually come around. One first kiss, coming up."
The screaming baby had gotten just a little too much for Jay's ears, though, and it spoiled the mood. Who wants a first kiss with a crying baby on the floor at your feet. Jay wondered absently why the baby's mother hadn't come to take of the poor little tyke. He was obviously tired. The omniscient voice must have heard his thoughts, because the answer came immediately.
"You goof, what would you rather have, Valerie flirting with you, or putting her baby to bed?"
"WHAT! No way! You set me up with with someone's baby mama? How could you? And what is she doing with a baby anyway? She's younger that I am! What the heck is going on here?? Arghhh!"
Jay was definitely having second thoughts. He still wanted to kiss Valerie, but the whole baby mama thing had thrown him for a loop. Not to mention that when Valerie's sister came to ask for a bedtime story, he saw that she had fairy wings! Not fake, Spooky Day costume wings, but real fairy wings. What the heck kind of family was this, anyway? He wandered off to work on his homework for a while. Maybe that would clear his head.
After pondering his dilemma for a day, he came to a decision. He would invite Valerie (sans baby) over and see if he could get that kiss, and maybe a make out session in the hot tub as well.
After flirting for a while, he felt he was ready. It was now or never. Of course, just as he leaned in for a kiss, there was his crazy little sister, standing there staring at them. You could almost see the wheels turning round and round in her head, as if she was planning something... something big.
By the time he stole that first kiss, it was late, and Valerie said she had to go, so the make-out session was put on hold once again. He figured he would try again at his birthday party. Well, actually it was his and his twin sisters' birthday, so he'd have to get cakes for them too.
Valerie showed up first for the birthday party, with a whole cooked turkey.
"Hehe! I think she likes you!"
The voice was driving him to distraction. Here he was trying to get everything set up for the party, and now he couldn't even think.
"Hehe! It's not me, I think it's Valerie, you really like her, don't you? Makes you all mushy inside? I hope.. "
"Stop it! I'm trying to get the cakes set for the party. What do you think? All three on one table or separate tables?"
The cake arrangements were forgotten, however, when Rain awakened from her afternoon nap and quietly faded away. She had lived a long life, and it was expected, but it was still a blow, and quite an inauspicious beginning to Jay's first party.
The rest of the guests were arriving, though, and Jay bravely carried on. Periwinkle's son Clay, a spitting image of his dark blue-skinned father, and Robin's new husband Ulysses were the next to arrive.
"Who wants to go first! Wren?"
The twins both shook their heads.
"Are you sure? Okay, I'll be first then!"
"Happy Birthday, Blue Jay! Um.. Jay.. didn't I tell you I didn't think it was a good idea to put all those cake so close together.."
"You didn't. Aunt Rain died right when I asked you, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. Well, I think you should move them, before the girls age up."
"Too late, Wren's already blowing out her candles. Besides, what could go wrong? You're here to take care of me, right?"
Wren studied her candles carefully. Yes, if she blew on them at just the right angle... Yes!
BOOM! A loud explosion filled the room. Wren surveyed her blackened cake with satisfaction. No matter that her behind was now on fire; that could be easily remedied, and it would provide the perfect alibi.
Robin was there with the fire extinguisher almost instantly, an event that Wren had not foreseen. She would have to put up with a burning butt for a few more minutes than planned.
The flames billowing from the table were out, and Robin was hosing down Benji,but she didn't appear to notice that Jay and Raven were still on fire.
"Fire! Fire! Voice! You said you'd make all my wishes come true. Why are you doing this? Fire!"
Wren listened to Jay's pleadings with fascination. Who was this 'voice' he was talking to? How interesting. It didn't appear that his 'voice' was making any moves to save him. What could be the meaning of this?
The flames were beginning to burn through her thick canvas overalls by now, so she high tailed it upstairs to the shower, and just in time too. Her backside was a little red, but she'd survive.
She returned to the scene of the disaster just in time to see Jay's ghost appear from a small pile of ashes on the floor. She watched her dad and her Uncle Peri burst into tears, and did likewise. She was a consummate copycat, if she did say so herself.
She watched in awe as her brother's ghost shook Grim's hand, and then disappeared...
... and after that, her sister followed. It was time, she thought. She could grow up now.
"What did you do? You planned the whole thing, didn't you, you evil sneaky girl."
Wren was used to the voices in her head, but this one was different. She somehow knew it was the same 'voice' that Jay had pleaded with, to no avail.
"Yessss. I planned the whole thing. I knew I would never be heir. Jay and his stupid pink hair and his acrobat career, and if not him, Raven and her perfect blue skin and perfect traits. But never Wren, never the insane one with the plain brown hair. Oh no. Even my name is plain. Plain old brown Wren. But now! Now they have no choice! Make way for the Empress of Evil! Mwahahaha!"
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NOTES
Soooo... big ole emphatic note to self: never ever ever have all three of your heirs blow their birthday candles out at the same time at the same table. Not good. I had totally forgotten about exploding birthday cakes, it had been such a long time since I'd seen one. Also - it never occurred to me that:
1) The whole table would light up instantly.
2) The sim with the fire extinguisher doesn't put out burning sims.
3) Burning sims don't autonomously put themselves out in the shower.
So, an almost complete disaster all around. Wren has always been my problem child, she never learned her toddler skills, and she never does her homework. So I'm left with an insane, evil genius who rolled the Empress of Evil LTW shortly after she became a child. It should be an interesting generation!
Oh, and of course I just made up the whole 'planned it' scenario, since it fit so well with her personality. The whole disaster was a complete surprise, and I could only watch in horror as my two favorites went up in flames, literally.
